Chapter Text
Ron's message arrived while Draco was examining a box. It stood open on the sofa, containing three books, a folder and room for several other things. Draco took out a book, looked at the cover and put it back.
"Ron and Hermione want to come round today," Harry said.
"Here?"
"Yes."
"For dinner?"
Harry read the rest.
"I think so."
Draco checked the clock.
"We can order food."
Harry put his mobile on the table.
"I thought of that."
Draco removed the folder.
"He's the commentator."
"Yes."
"I know who he is."
Harry smiled.
"And she works in public policy."
"You've told me."
"I was just..."
He stopped as Draco put the folder on the side table.
"Isn't that going?"
"I still need it."
Harry looked at the three books.
"Right."
The mobile vibrated again. He read the message, then looked up.
"He's asked me to buy champagne."
Draco went still for a moment.
"We'll get some."
Harry was already smiling.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ron arrived carrying two bags and an expression attempting to look casual. Hermione followed. Harry opened the door, looked at them and immediately glanced down at her hand. Hermione smiled. Ron sighed.
"You could have waited until we were inside."
Harry caught Hermione's arm.
"Finally."
"Harry," Ron said.
He hugged her, then Ron, tightly enough to make him lift the bags.
"Finally," he repeated by his ear.
"I heard you the first time."
Draco stood at the sitting-room entrance. Hermione stepped away from Harry and looked at him.
"You must be Draco."
"And you must be Hermione. Congratulations."
She thanked him, still smiling. Ron held out a bag.
"We brought dessert."
Harry took it and handed the other to Draco before taking their coats. Draco looked inside. Two bottles of wine.
"The champagne's chilled," he informed them.
Ron looked pleased. Hermione turned to him.
"You asked?"
"Thought it would be nice."
"You practically told him before we got here."
Harry hung up her coat.
"After five months, I thought the request probably had something to do with the ring."
Draco looked up. So did Hermione. Ron briefly closed his eyes.
"Five months?" she asked.
Harry stopped. Ron looked at him.
"Excellent start."
✦ ✦ ✦
In the sitting room, Hermione sat and held out her hand for Harry to see the ring. He took it carefully. Looked. Smiled again.
"It looks lovely."
"It does," she agreed.
Ron settled beside her. Draco fetched glasses. When he returned, Hermione was still looking at her hand. Ron watched with a satisfaction that made it quite difficult to reproach him for the delay. Harry managed.
"You bought it in May."
Ron accepted a glass.
"I did."
"It's October."
"I know how calendars work."
Hermione looked at him.
"I didn't know you bought it in May."
"It was a surprise."
"Apparently a very well-kept one."
Draco handed her a glass. Harry opened the champagne. Ron pointed at him.
"I wanted to do it properly."
"You said that in June."
"And I did."
Hermione leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"You did."
Ron smiled. Harry raised the bottle.
"Tell us, then."
✦ ✦ ✦
The proposal had happened the night before. Ron had booked a restaurant, confirmed the time, checked the ring and checked the pocket containing it. Then checked again.
"I thought he'd lost something," Hermione said.
"I hadn't."
"You kept patting your coat every five minutes."
Draco drank champagne.
"A discreet way to establish the object's continued presence."
Harry began laughing. Ron looked at them both.
"I was nervous."
Hermione rested a hand on his arm.
"I know."
"And she was late."
"I left work late."
"I know," Ron said, more quickly.
Draco looked at Harry, who seemed familiar with that change of tone.
"There was a meeting," Hermione explained. "We needed to finalise a proposal before submitting—"
Ron turned.
"Is this the version I heard at the restaurant?"
She stopped, then smiled.
"Perhaps."
"Because in that version I won't be proposing for another forty minutes."
Harry laughed so loudly he had to put down his glass. Hermione squeezed Ron's arm.
"Carry on."
He resumed. The restaurant was full. The table was good. So was the food. Ron had planned to wait until dessert.
"Had planned?" Draco asked.
"She started discussing a meeting next week," Ron said.
Hermione looked at him.
"And?"
"I realised if I waited for you to finish every subject, I'd have to renew the booking."
She opened her mouth. Closed it. Harry lowered his head.
"So I asked," Ron concluded.
Hermione began smiling again. The room grew quieter.
"Between the main course and dessert?" Draco asked.
"Between one meeting and another," Ron replied.
She tapped his arm. He took her hand.
"And she said yes."
Harry raised his glass.
"To you both."
Draco joined him. Hermione and Ron touched their glasses to theirs. Ron seemed very pleased to have reached that part of the story at last.
✦ ✦ ✦
The food arrived while Harry was asking about the previous plans. Ron immediately stood.
"I'll help bring it in."
"You never volunteer that quickly," Harry observed.
"I'm becoming more responsible."
Draco followed them into the kitchen. As they opened the containers, Ron looked at the worktop, then the teapot, then the plates laid out.
"Did you buy napkins?"
"I had napkins," Harry replied.
"Cloth ones?"
Draco picked up a serving dish.
"They were in a drawer."
Ron looked at him.
"And you found them."
"They weren't hidden."
Harry handed him another container.
"Draco likes things to be used for their intended purpose."
Ron considered this.
"Right."
Hermione called from the sitting room, asking whether they needed help.
"It's ready," Harry replied.
Ron took the plates. Draco carried the food. Harry followed with cutlery. Hermione stood to make room.
"Where shall we—"
Draco indicated the table. Ron looked at Harry. Harry smiled.
"That was here before too."
✦ ✦ ✦
For the first few minutes, they ate and revisited the proposal. Ron admitted he had considered doing it on a trip. Hermione pointed out that they spent months trying to find dates for a trip. He agreed. Harry revealed a plan involving a walk as well.
"It rained," Ron explained.
"We're in London," Hermione said.
"I know."
Draco poured more water.
"Have you thought about the size of the ceremony?"
Ron stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth. Hermione looked up.
"Not yet."
"There's a considerable difference between choosing a venue for thirty and two hundred."
"Yes," she said. "And first we'd have to decide who—"
Ron looked at Harry. Harry tried not to smile. Hermione was already counting on her fingers. Draco asked a question. She answered. Ron put down his fork.
"I asked yesterday."
They both looked at him.
"Could we finish dinner before choosing the chairs?"
Hermione was quiet for a moment, then picked up her fork.
"We could."
Draco returned to his food too. Harry leaned towards Ron.
"You'll need to repeat that sentence."
"I'm beginning to see that."
✦ ✦ ✦
The subject changed when Hermione explained why she had left work late. There was a proposal to help workers access information about their rights. Part of the team wanted extensive material. The rest wanted something short enough to use. Hermione had belonged to the first group.
"But they cut so much it lost important information," she said.
"Did you show it to anyone who'd need to use it?" Ron asked.
She looked at him.
"Yes."
"And?"
Hermione moved her food around.
"They said it was long."
Ron nodded. Draco looked interested.
"How long?"
She told him. Harry drank water. Ron looked at him.
"But you can't solve everything on one page," Hermione continued.
"Perhaps it isn't meant to solve everything," Draco said. "Perhaps it's meant to tell someone what to do next."
Hermione put down her fork.
"That's what we ended up doing."
"So the same material had two different functions."
"Yes, but some of the information—"
They began discussing what could remain in the main document. Ron leaned back. Harry helped himself to more food. Hermione noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing," Ron said.
She looked at Harry. He shook his head. Draco raised his glass.
"You were saying?"
Hermione continued. Ron leaned towards Harry.
"The chairs were only the beginning."
Harry laughed.
✦ ✦ ✦
After dinner, they returned to the sitting room. Ron opened dessert. Hermione slipped off her shoes and discreetly tucked them under her chair. Draco noticed and chose not to comment. Harry sat beside him on the sofa. There was less space between them than Ron apparently expected. He looked once, then at Hermione, who was examining dessert. Ron began handing out plates.
"How long are you staying?" he asked Draco.
"The work should be finished on Friday."
"Oh. You're renovating?"
Draco confirmed it. Harry took a plate.
"But he'll check first."
"It's necessary," Draco said.
Ron nodded.
"My sister spent three weeks getting them to fix a door that kept opening by itself."
"A cupboard door?" Draco asked.
"Her bedroom."
Draco raised his eyebrows.
"Considerably worse."
Ron seemed pleased to find understanding. Harry rested his plate on his knee.
"We're going out for dinner on Thursday."
Draco looked at him. Ron followed the movement.
"Right."
Hermione took a fork.
"And after the move?"
Harry and Draco began answering together.
"We'll keep—"
"There's no reason—"
Both stopped. Ron looked at dessert. Hermione nodded.
"Of course."
Harry smiled. Draco decided his dessert plate required more attention.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ron began recalling an old trip. According to him, there was a photograph somewhere nobody should have kept. Hermione insisted it was a good photograph. Harry said he needed to find it. Draco listened as all three disagreed about whose idea it had been to leave their accommodation in the middle of the night.
"Yours," Ron told Hermione.
"I wanted a walk."
"At one in the morning."
"The city was empty."
"So were we," Harry said.
Hermione began laughing. One story led to another. Harry leaned forward, remembering a detail.
"That was when you—"
Hermione pointed her fork.
"Harry."
He smiled. Draco looked between them.
"What?"
Ron was immediately interested. Harry hesitated, then looked at Draco.
"You asked about a few of my discoveries the other day."
Draco went quiet. Harry continued:
"That was the trip when I tried cannabis."
Draco looked at Ron. Ron raised his head.
"Why did you look at me?"
Harry started laughing.
"I didn't say anything," Draco replied.
"You didn't need to. It was a very complete look."
Hermione put down her plate.
"It was my idea."
Draco turned to her. Harry laughed harder. Ron opened a hand in Hermione's direction.
"Thank you."
Draco tried to reorganise the information.
"Yours?"
"Mine."
"I was expecting a different explanation."
Hermione crossed her legs.
"I noticed."
Harry wiped the corners of his eyes.
"She thought she needed to explain everything too."
"I'd done my research," Hermione said.
Ron pointed at her.
"That didn't mean you knew how."
"I didn't claim—"
"You did," both said.
Hermione looked at Ron, then Harry. Draco began smiling. Harry turned to him.
"I told you there was information missing."
✦ ✦ ✦
The evening ended with Ron searching for the coat Harry had hung by the door. Hermione found it first and handed it over. He looked at her hand once more. Smiled. Hermione noticed.
"It's there."
"I know."
"It won't disappear."
"I'm just looking."
Harry hugged them again. This time he didn't say "finally". Ron seemed grateful. Draco came to say goodbye.
"Congratulations again."
Hermione kissed his cheek. Ron shook his hand.
"You'll come to the wedding, won't you?"
Draco looked at Harry, who stood nearby with a hand on the door, smiling.
"If I'm invited," Draco replied.
Ron raised his eyebrows.
"I'm inviting you."
Hermione nodded.
"Details later."
Draco looked at them both.
"Then yes."
Ron smiled.
"Good. Now we just need to choose the chairs."
Hermione gave him a small push towards the stairs.
✦ ✦ ✦
Harry remained at the door until he heard his friends leave the building. When he turned, Draco was still in the hall.
"They liked you," he said.
Draco adjusted his cuff.
"Your friend has very firm opinions."
"I know."
"And Weasley isn't quite what I imagined."
Harry came closer.
"Worse?"
"More observant."
He smiled. So did Harry.
"You're coming with me," he said.
Draco looked at him.
"To the wedding."
"I was invited."
"I heard."
Harry put a hand on his waist. Draco let him. For a moment, Potter's expression grew quieter.
"I'm so happy for them."
"I noticed."
"He'd had that ring for months."
Draco smiled.
"You mentioned it."
Harry lowered his head, laughing. Draco touched his face. Potter looked up.
"What?"
"Nothing."
He kissed him. Harry drew him closer. When they parted, Draco glanced at the sitting room.
"We need to clear up."
"In a minute."
Draco looked back. Harry's hand was still at his waist.
"A dangerously frequent expression in this house."
"You know it by now."
Draco did. He stayed a little longer.